Technology just a tool?

Saying technology is “just a tool” can be a very dangerous statement. I understand that when people say this, they’re simply trying to point out that technology is a peripheral that enables us to do the things we want to do better than before. I can agree with that concept but the problem with this thinking is that it often gets used to see technology only as a means to automate or make current practice more efficient. There are very few people involved in any level of education that thinks technology isn’t necessary for our students. Where we disagree is in how we’ll use it and most often there exists a lack of understanding and appreciation for the trans-formative nature of technology.

To say technology is just a tool seems a little short sighted to me. Paper is a tool. A pen is a tool. No one would argue that it’s what we do with them that matters. It appears to me that it’s also what we do with technology that matters. Am I embracing all the possibilities afforded me as an educator? The ability to make connections across the globe opens up so many possibilities for my Social Studies classroom that it boggles my 1980s teacher’s mind.

So, people can call it just a tool, but it is a tool that is forcing me to take a serious look at how to maximize my students’ learning. It has precipitated a fundamental change in how I look at what I’m doing, and has rejuvenated my whole outlook and approach. No other “tool” has had that effect on me.